Noir So Dark
by byebyebyrdie
Summary: Being an investigative journalist at the turn of the 20th century is hard. KandaxAllen. Rating may change as the story progresses.


AN: Yoooo so ummm what's up long time no…update? I just graduated from graduate school (I know, it's insane) and umm I have some of the half-finished chapters that I had already written for some of the other unfinished stories and I will try to get those out soon!

Disclaimer: mostly cursing, all characters belong to the illustrious katsura hoshino

xxx

"Kanda, come look at this. Bring the camera. I think I see something through that window." A white-haired boy looking through a pair of binoculars motioned to an Asian man sitting behind him. "Whattya think?" He pointed at a window where two people were visibly undressing each other. "Do you think it's them? Fourth floor, third window from the corner." He handed the binoculars to the Asian man.

"Allen, you can't just assume every couple about to have sex is the Governor and his mistress." He threw the binoculars back at the white-haired boy who caught them clumsily. He was already on edge that he had to deal with an assignment this petty. For god's sake, they were spying on some man cheating on his wife. Kanda couldn't wrap his head around who in the hell would care. "That guy doesn't even have a mustache, plus he looks way younger than the Governor. This woman has blonde hair and the profile clearly stated that she has RED hair." The Asian man snorted. "I have no idea how you were hired with a memory that bad." He heaved a sigh and mumbled, "This is such a dumb investigation."

Allen turned around and gave his partner a dirty look. "I heard that. Also, why do you have to be so rude and grumpy all the time, Kanda? This is why you don't have any friends."

"How can you be okay with this stupid assignment? This isn't even journalism. This is spying on some dumb old man cheating on his wife." Kanda rolled his eyes. "I can't believe Komui has me working on something so trivial."

"If you roll your eyes that hard they're going to get stuck in the back of your skull." Allen turned back toward the window and positioned his binoculars again as he scanned the apartment building. The apartments were fancy with wide windows in all the units. Unlucky for the residents, it was really easy to spy on people. "Besides, it is important! The Governor is misusing public funds. Wait…" He paused. "Did you say red hair? And older man with mustache?"

Kanda snatched the binoculars out of Allen's hands. "Hey!" Allen protested.

"Which one is it idiot."

"Jeez. Fifth floor, corner window."

Kanda scrutinized for a few seconds. "That's him. Pass me the camera." Allen handed the camera to him grudgingly. "Nice job, you did something right." Kanda focused the camera on the Governor and his redhaired mistress. "For once." He added while clicking the shutter. Kanda slung the camera over his shoulder. "Alright, let's get the hell out of here. This place is too glitzy for me."

The two of them were waiting in the hotel for the past four hours for the Governor to appear in the apartment building. The rumor was that he was cheating on his wife and using government funds to pay for his mistress' living expenses in a new building overlooking Central Park. Allen didn't mind it; the hotel room was the fanciest room he'd ever been inside in his life. There was a chandelier in the lobby and the bed was soft as a feather. He wouldn't mind staying there forever. "Just let me sit on the bed for a little longer!" Kanda grabbed Allen's arm and dragged him out of the room.

They stopped for a quick meal on their way back to the Black Order in the Lower East Side. There was a coffee shop that served Allen's favorite sandwiches. Allen knew the owner because he saved his cat once; he's given Allen free sandwiches ever since.

"Good afternoon boys! What brings you in so late past lunchtime?" Jeryy gave Allen a big hug and patted Kanda on the shoulder. "Long time no see." Kanda nodded in response. "He's still got a stick up his ass, huh?" He whispered to Allen.

"I heard that."

Allen turned to talk to Jeryy after shooting Kanda an angry look. "We were on an assignment all morning! Couldn't take a single break. It was so tiring! And I was so hungry the entire time. I could _not_ wait to leave."

"That's absolutely tragic dear! So," Jeryy stepped behind the counter. "What can I get for you boys today?"

Allen glanced at Kanda and decided Kanda didn't deserve to ask for anything because he had been an ass all day. He'll just have to eat whatever Allen orders. "I'll have my usual…and Kanda will have the pastrami with a minestrone soup!" Jeryy wrote the order down with a flourish. "Oh! And two cups of coffee please."

"Fantastic! And just for you it's on the house! I know you've been working hard. Go take a seat wherever you like!"

Allen thanked the man and the two took a seat by the window. The streets were empty at this time of day. Everyone was in their offices and working their office jobs from morning to night. Jeryy brought the coffees, sandwich and soup for Kanda, and a trolley of corned beef on rye sandwiches. Kanda gawked. "You're the best Jeryy!" Jeryy winked and sauntered back into the kitchen. Kanda stared at Jeryy bewildered as he walked away. How did he make that many sandwiches in such a short amount of time? Maybe it was black magic? Even more alarming, when he turned back around almost half of the sandwiches on the trolley were gone.

"You…" Kanda wrinkled his nose. "How could you eat something like that?"

Mouth half full Allen retorted, "It's delicious. You could expand your horizons a little more." And continued inhaling the sandwiches.

Kanda grimaced. He almost felt full just from watching Allen eat that much food. He looked at his soup and slowly began to eat the sandwich. It wasn't too bad as far as taste goes. There was too much meat and not enough vegetables for his liking. The soup was okay too. The flavors were different from his usual taste, but he enjoyed the meal overall. In the time it took Kanda to finish his soup, Allen had already finished all his sandwiches. And his coffee. And Kanda's coffee too.

"Kanda you 're such a slow eater!" Allen wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I'm going to fall asleep if you don't hurry up."

Kanda took a couple more bites from the sandwich. "I'm full." He wrapped the other half of the sandwich in his napkin and stood up to leave.

Allen waved to Jeryy and said goodbye. Kanda nodded in Jeryy's direction. They continued downtown.

xxx

Black Order Printing moved to Manhattan after a mishap at their old office in Chicago. Komui thought it was a better idea anyway because all the "big news" happened in New York and as a news company it only makes sense to be where all the happenings are. Although, the central headquarters remained in Chicago, telephones and telegraphs had become so much more advanced in recent years, higher ups didn't feel uncomfortable opening a new branch in a different state.

Since the majority of the editorial staff stayed in Chicago, the Manhattan desperately needed journalists. A few key editors who already spent the bulk of their time in Manhattan relocated with Komui. Luckily for Komui, the schools in New York seemed to spawn great journalists.

Allen was hired right out of university. He graduated from a well-known journalism program and had been recommended to Komui by a former colleague. As for Kanda, he was poached from a, supposedly, more reputable publication by Tiedoll a few years ago. Both Kanda and Tiedoll were investigating the same matter which led to their paths crossing. At the time, Kanda was freelancing part-time and working for the other publication part-time, and accepted Tiedoll's offer to collaborate if it meant he could focus on his side project exclusively.

When Allen started, Kanda's project had reached something of a standstill and Komui thought it would be helpful for Kanda to take a break from that assignment. So, to help take his mind off that investigation, Kanda was tasked with training Allen. After that, Komui somehow decided that they worked well together, evidence that Komui is out of his damn mind, so he started regularly pairing them up for assignments.

Kanda found the boy to be annoyingly upbeat and smiley, both of which are signs of lacking self-awareness. Being around the boy gave him a headache and an eye ache (from rolling his eyes so damn much) and general dealing-with-Allen ache. He also felt that Komui was skimping out on him ever since they'd been paired together. There were plenty of good stories that needed to be covered but he kept assigning small fry stories, at least Kanda felt that way.

AKA more proof that Komui was out of his damn mind.

Komui knew that Kanda was a capable and talented journalist. It was insulting enough that he was assigned to be Allen's glorified babysitter, but also these stupid stories? He'd dealt with _months_ of these shenanigans and he had enough. Kanda was going to see Komui as soon as he got back and demand changes.

xxx

Upon arrival, Kanda made a beeline to Komui's office and yanked his door open, the door slammed against the wall. Komui looked up, clearly just having woke up, very startled. "O-oh, um, Kanda, I see you're back. Welcome back!" He straightened his hat. "Where is Allen?" Kanda yanked the door, which closed with a bang, and approached Komui's desk.

Kanda threw the camera at Komui, who caught it, barely. "We got the photo evidence. Allen finished writing the article last night with the testimonies from the city hall employees." Komui reeled in his chair. "I want to switch partners. I can't work with that second-rate brat. Also, I'm tired of these useless stories that no one cares about. I want to be back on _my_ assignment. I'm ready to go back. I need to finish that job." Komui looked a little green. "But seriously, quit pairing me up with that substandard _child_." Kanda stood back up and crossed his arms. Komui stared at him dumbfounded. Kanda added, "I'm sick of your shit. I want to know why you're doing this to me. Are you punishing me?"

Komui propped his head on his hands. "Kanda, it isn't your assignment anymore. You know why I took you off and why I haven't put you back on. Also, I just feel like it would do you well to be with someone who is…" he hadn't noticed that Allen was standing in the doorway. They made eye contact. "A bit more spirited?"

"I don't want to be with someone more spirited. I want to work alone or with someone who has more experience. You know I-" Allen slammed the door to Komui's office in the middle of Kanda's rant. Both men grimaced. "deserve better." Kanda rubbed his temples. "Jesus Christ. Never mind." He spun around and menacingly pointed at Komui right before he stormed out, "If you're going to make me work with him, at least give better work. Both of us are better than this." He forcefully swung the door open and slammed it closed again. Komui wondered why everyone was being so rough with his door. He wished Kanda would get along with Allen but, even more than that, he wished everyone would be nicer to his door.

Allen laid his head on his desk and sulked while Lenalee and Lavi tried to cheer him up. "Come on Allen you know Kanda doesn't mean any of that stuff." Lenalee patted his back. "He's just having a bad time because his girlfriend broke up with him or something."

"Exactly!" Lavi chimed in. "Look at him, there is no girl in her right mind that would like someone like him. He's bitter because you're so much cooler and better looking. So, don't feel bad because you're way more handsome!"

Allen did not feel better. He wasn't upset because Kanda was being mean, he was upset that Kanda didn't think he was a worthy journalist. Kanda is always mean. Allen knew in his heart that he was _not_ a second-rate journalist. If it were anyone else, he would have shrugged the comment off and moved on. He didn't know why Kanda's comment affected him so much in particular.

Lenalee and Lavi continued on about how Kanda was lame and Allen was nicer and greater and much more well liked and he shouldn't be sad about Kanda being a Debbie downer, as he does.

Kanda approached the three and cleared his throat to make his presence known. Lenalee and Lavi looked up at him. Kanda could feel the daggers from their eyes. "What do you want? Are you happy that you've made Allen this miserable?" Lenalee scolded.

Lavi jumped up and threw his arm around Kanda's shoulder. "Come on Yu, what's wrong with you these days? You've been grumpier than usual." Kanda roughly shrugged him off.

"Don't call me that you stupid rabbit. And don't touch me." He glared at the redhead. "I'll cut your arm off." Lavi retreated behind Lenalee who stood up to Kanda and jabbed him in the chest.

"You need to fix your attitude Kanda. You can't keep going around insulting everyone! You've been a menace to all of us for the past few weeks! What's wrong with you?" Kanda looked away from Lenalee. Maybe he wasn't getting enough sleep. "Look at Allen and apologize to him right now!" Lenalee glared at him.

"What the hell." Kanda hated apologizing. "Beansprout-"

"It's Allen."

"Look, you're not substandard."

"And second-rate." Allen added, head still buried in his arms on his desk. "And a brat."

"Right, yeah, you're not second-rate. You aren't a substandard or second-rate journalist." Kanda stood by Allen's desk awkwardly.

Allen didn't make any move or response to show he had heard Kanda. A long period of silence passed. Kanda became increasingly frustrated because he didn't know what else to say. "Stop fucking whining. Get it together." He grabbed Allen's arm forcefully and pulled him up to face him. "What the fuck else do I need to say to you to make you stop acting like a fucking wounded animal? I was just frustrated, okay? Get the fuck over it!"

Allen stared straight at Kanda and mumbled, "Why do you have to be so rude all the time?" He shrugged free of Kanda's grip. "I get it. Let me go." He began to put his things into his bag. "I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bea-"

"IT'S FUCKING ALLEN!" Allen snapped. Hoisting his bag on his shoulder, he stomped out of the office.

Kanda slumped into the chair next to Allen's desk. He couldn't explain why, but he felt horrible.

xxx

The next day, Allen wasn't better. If Kanda could say himself, he was worse. Allen ignored Kanda all morning. He even moved to sit on the other side of the room. Whenever Kanda would try to talk to him about rewording sentences or formatting or really anything, Allen would shrug and tell him to do whatever he wanted. Their deadline was in two days and they were supposed to be editing their story, so it could be sent to the printers.

Kanda chewed on the eraser of his red pencil as he scanned the document.

 _In the past 6 months, the governor spent approximately $8,000 of public funds to support the lavish lifestyle of his mistress. The sum includes not only the cost of her Central Park apartment, but also costly dining, clothing, and vacations. While we, the constituents, suffer from unemployment, lack of acceptable infrastructure, and adequate social programs. The governor's debauchery demands the attention of his constituents. This kind of behavior by an elected official is unacceptable…_

Kanda's eyes glazed over. There didn't seem to be any grammatical errors so far. He had to admit that the beansprout was a damn good writer. Kanda looked at the white-haired boy who was currently chatting animatedly with Miranda about the governor's shenanigans, but as soon as he noticed Kanda looking at him, his expression immediately turned sour. Kanda directed his eyes back at the manuscript. He didn't know what the fuck his problem was, and it pissed him off. Stupid fucking beansprout.

Allen approached Kanda's desk as Kanda was finishing up the last page. "Kanda. Are you done editing yet? Miranda says she finished the spread already and she wants to know when the text will be ready to format."

Kanda noticed a coldness in Allen's voice that he didn't recognize. "Take it." He thrust the manuscript at Allen. "I'm done."

Allen shuffled through the papers. "There aren't any-"

Kanda cut him off. "I'm going to go eat lunch." He stood up and began walking away.

"Kanda!"

He spun around. "What."

"I'm switching partners." Kanda stared at him blankly. "Komui agreed to let me work with Lavi from now on…" Allen's voiced trailed off. Lavi recently finished writing his editorial about the history of the Manhattan subway and offered to let Allen do interviews on his behalf for his next editorial about historical architecture in Manhattan.

"Okay?"

"I just thought I would let you know."

"Okay?" Kanda tapped his foot, feigning impatience. "Is that all? I'm hungry."

"Um…"

Kanda rolled his eyes and huffed. "Do whatever you want, beansprout. I don't care." Kanda felt guilty hearing how cold the tone of his own voice was.

Allen drooped his head as the Asian man walked to the breakroom. Allen didn't know what to feel. Remembering that he had a deadline to meet, he returned to his (new) desk and began to look over the edited manuscript more thoroughly. Kanda had made a few marks here and there, but it was as if he changed his mind at the last minute because all his edits were crossed out. Could it be that Kanda thought he was a good writer? A mysterious giddiness washed over him. How had he not realized over these past few months how much Kanda's opinion affected him? Allen found this very troubling, but completely forgot about that when he saw a scribble at the bottom of the last page.

 _Nice job._

xxx

AN: I started writing this story a few years ago and I meant for it to be kind of a period piece where it took place in the early 1900s and was as true to that time-period as possible. I'm not sure if I'm going to follow through with that. I also already have multiple chapters written, but I don't know if I want to just keep it as a one shot type deal. Just musings!

Drop a review, let me know how you feel!


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